Culture and Creatures of Indonesia

Let's lead this entry off with 2 updates. First, our internet has been spotty at best. This delays many of the blog entries, but we don't expect it to be a long term issue. Second and most important, we'd like to welcome our new nephew into the world! Zachary was born on Friday, March 27th and we are celebrating his arrival from here in Jakarta! Congrats to Stephen and Carrie! We are thrilled!

So what's going on in Indonesia? Well, we love it here. Indonesia is a Southeast Asian nation and it is a melting pot of culture and people. There are roughly 240 million people in this country, 15 million people in the capital city (Jakarta), and 13,000+ islands comprising Indonesia. You read that correctly - 13,000+ islands. With that many islands and a blend of numerous Asian nations, Indonesia is rich with culture.

This past weekend, we visited a park that displays "villages" that represent individual regions of Indonesia. The architecture is fascinating. Many of the buildings are decorated with hand painted siding and have concave straw roofing. Several of these are pictured here. The creations are representative of common family housing, temples/mosques, stores, and even theaters. One of the most fascinating representations that we saw was of Borobudur, one of the 7 wonders of the world. It is an enormous Buddhist temple that was unearthed in the 19th century. It was built in the 9th century and eventually abandoned as Islam gained traction in Indonesia. Since the "rediscovery," Borobudur has been restored and is now a place of pilgrimage for many Buddhists and tourists. The replicas are fascinating and we are considering a drive for a look at the real thing.

Beyond the fascinating people and culture, Indonesia is also home to some impressive animals. Tigers are one animal that seem to fascinate westerners. Sumatra is one of the Indonesian islands and many of you have heard of the Sumatran Tiger. It is estimated that fewer than 1000 Sumatran Tigers live in the wild today. Another fascinating creature is the Komodo Dragon, the world's largest lizard. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience with a Komodo. Take a look...